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Whether you're growing vegetables, herbs or flowers, getting a good start is important to the success of your plants' growth. Germinating your seeds before planting helps to sort out the viable seeds from the nonviable ones. One way to ensure a proper start is to germinate your seeds in a paper towel indoors before planting them either directly in your garden or in a pot.

  1. If you have smaller paper towels, you can skip this step.
  2. You can get the best dampness by fully dipping the towel in water, then ring it out completely, being careful not to tear the fragile towel. Once most of the water is out, carefully open the towel all the way, taking care to prevent tears. Lay the towel on a flat surface.
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  3. Place seeds on a center of the paper towel. You can add more or less, depending on the size of your planting area. Just keep the seeds towards the middle of the towel.
  4. To make sure the seeds stay in place and do not slip out of the paper towel, fold the towel in half once and then fold it in thirds, keeping the seeds in the center panel of the tri-fold.
  5. [1] You can mark the plastic baggie with the seed name, date, and the estimated length of time the seeds will take to germinate (DTG). You can choose whether or not that would be useful for you. Then, carefully place damp paper towel with seeds into the plastic baggie.
  6. This is fairly easy to do in any regular house with central heat. If your circumstances are different, you can put the baggie on top of something that stays at a regular comfortably warm temperature. Make sure it's not hot! Some people choose the top of a refrigerator or even on top of a heating pad on the lowest setting.
  7. Check your seeds daily to make sure they keep damp. If they dry out, just add a tiny bit more water to your bag.
  8. If you are good at scheduling your time and will remember to check your seeds at the approximate date of germination, then you can come back around germination time. A daily checking may be needed.
  9. Your seeds have sprouted! Now you can plant in your desired growing pot or plot.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I secure the paper towels with the seeds in them?
    Jovace Nelson
    Landscaping Expert
    Jovace Nelson is a Landscaping Expert and the CEO of Vacetime, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vacetime, launched in 2018, is an agricultural building management service. Jovace and his team specialize in creating custom landscaping makeover services for both residential and commercial properties, living walls, and environmental education. Jovace studied Business and Management at Penn State University.
    Landscaping Expert
    Expert Answer
    I suggest using a rubber band to enclose the paper towels and leaving them that way until the seed sprouts. You can wet or sprinkle the towel with water every now and then to maintain its moisture, but not so much that it gets too soaked.
  • Question
    Would this make the plants less healthy?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    No, you can start perfectly healthy plants this way. All a seed needs for germination is moisture, and it will grow surprisingly large without soil, because it contains its own food. Just be careful to treat the seedling very gently when you transplant it into soil.
  • Question
    Should the plastic baggie be open or closed?
    Community Answer
    You should keep the plastic bag closed because it keeps the moisture inside.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Seeds
      • Plastic Baggies
      • Paper Towels
      • Water from a faucet or container.
      • Warm, dark place to store seeds out of direct sunlight until germination.

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about gardening, check out our in-depth interview with Jovace Nelson .

      About This Article

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Joanne C.

        Oct 1, 2017

        "Put my seeds in a bag for 7 days, now gonna plant in a pot."
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